The average resident goes to the supermarket at least five times every month. This adds up to over 250 trips in a year. While shopping, you may encounter hazards left out by the store’s employees. For some, these hazards lead to slip and fall accidents and injuries. Whether you suffer harm in a major supermarket chain or your local shopping center, you have all the right to seek and obtain compensation from the party responsible for your injuries.
There are several industry regulations that protect the safety of shoppers in supermarkets. Grocery stores are required to follow these rules to ensure that they create a safe and conducive environment for their visitors. These regulations are a combination of evaluating the safety of products sold, as well as the structural being of the floors and aisles. If you were injured in a grocery store, filing a lawsuit for your damages against the party responsible is the first step to help you obtain monetary compensation. Our Missouri City supermarket injury lawyers can help you in your cause of action against the supermarket, property owner, or other responsible party. Reach out to an experienced personal injury attorney to begin discussing your case.
Given the busy nature of supermarkets, shoppers are bound to come across minor and major hazards. Some of them lead to permanent injuries while others may just cause a fall with no lasting medical impact. But either way, understanding how these accidents occur can help mitigate their occurrence. And when they do occur, it’s important to be well-informed on your potential cause of action, especially if you need to reach out to a local attorney for help with your supermarket injury case.
Some of the most common causes of supermarket accidents include:
Understanding the cause of your injury or accident is very important because you will need to know what conditions caused you to fall. The above-mentioned circumstances can result in catastrophic or minor injuries, depending on what medical treatment is needed.
Common injuries associated with grocery store accidents include:
A majority of people who are injured in supermarkets suffer from slip and fall accidents. Sadly, older people and those with physical disabilities are prone to more severe slip and fall injuries due to their vulnerabilities. As a result, they may end up dislocating their hips or become permanently disabled.
Another group of people most likely to suffer from supermarket injuries is children. They can be scratched or cut by unsafely stored goods or unmaintained surfaces and structures. Moreover, a wet surface due to spills may cause them to fall, possibly injuring their heads or spine in the process.
As our lawyers will tell you, every shopping mall or grocery store is regulated by the premises liability laws. These laws are meant to protect the rights of shoppers in case of an accident. And for you to obtain compensation, you must prove that:
All supermarkets have the duty and obligation to ensure the safety of their customers by maintaining a safe shopping environment, free from any foreseeable hazards. Under the premises liability laws, the owners must ensure that any known safety hazards are taken care of to avoid a potential accident. If you were injured as a result of a slippery floor that employees knew or should have known existed, the management is deemed to have failed in their duty of care towards you.
The act of failing to take care of your safety means that the duty of care was breached. Often referred to as negligence, breaching the duty of care mainly occurs through failing to address possible dangers such as clearing debris from customer’s way, or repairing damaged floors.
For you and your supermarket injury attorney to file a lawsuit, there must be a direct association of your injuries to the supermarket accident. For example, you must show how your head injury was caused by falling objects on the shelves. Furthermore, the harm must have also caused you damages. Damages are costs associated with your supermarket injuries. They include medical costs, pain & suffering, lost wages, loss of income earning capacity, as well as the most severe: wrongful death claims.
If you have suffered minor bruises or injuries, you may be able to negotiate a settlement with the insurance company without legal counsel. However, if your injuries were more severe or permanent, you may need a Missouri City supermarket injury lawyer to help you get full justice. Often, insurance companies will try to avoid paying out the full value of your injuries.
To avoid acts of bad faith from your insurance company or the party responsible for your injuries, it is advisable to consult with a legal professional. At Lone Star Injury Attorneys, we work on a contingency fee basis, so we will never send you a bill for our services. Get in touch with our customer care representative today to schedule a free consultation with our qualified attorneys.